Susanna's Diary: Stories Of A Little Princess
by Rhonda Petrie
Summary: A day in the life of Susanna Carmichael, daughter of Suzanne Carmichael, as she reveals her thoughts and feelings about life, love and the many challenges she must face every day. Part of "TL Extensive Collection"; rated M just to be safe.
1. Susanna's New Diary!

**Author's Notes: **

**Hello there! This is my new story! Seeing that I'm almost done posting all of the pre-written chapters of "Shadows Of The Past" and I might be done by the end of this week, I figured I might post in a collection of Team Legacy stories that involves some of my original characters and even some of the canon characters. This is the second story I'm posting now; the first one was about Maude. Basically this chapter relates Susanna's feelings and thoughts regarding her family, her life and the experiences she has gone through. There will be references to some of my old stories, including "An American Odyssey", which was her debut appearance and "Summer Brawl At Year's End"****. I know this chapter doesn't contain too many canon characters but I promise you that you'll see them eventually. This would have been an original story if not for them. I have been thinking of getting an account on fictionpress but I'm not sure; I might have to ask my parents' permission. Perhaps a couple of my original novels might be featured there. But we'll see. Anyways, read this story and I hope you enjoy it!****  
**

_**Susanna's Inspector Diary: Stories Of A Little Princess**_

**Susanna's New Diary!**

Yay! Mommy gave me a new diary as an early birthday present for me. I was so excited! My mother figured it was time I got one of my own. "You know, Susa, since your birthday is coming in a couple of days anyway, your father and I had discussed getting a new diary for you and we decided that you deserve one, so... happy birthday little one!" my mother said to me as soon as she announced the news. I was so happy and I thanked my parents for getting me the new diary. Now I get to add my last three entries and now I get to add so much more! Let's see if it works:

**Thursday, June 18th, 2009**

Hello, my name is Susanna Felena Carmichael. I am the eldest and only biological daughter of Suzanne Anne Carmichael and Thomas Gaston Carmichael. I was named after my own mother and my middle name was partly inspired by Lena Rosenberg, which coincidentally has the same birthday as me. Come to think of it, I was born on her 86th birthday. Anyways, I was born on July 4th, 2006, in the Washington, D.C. Clinical Hospital, in a maternity ward by unusual circumstances. My mother has told me countless times that I was a miracle brought on by God, but she won't tell me why she has those sentiments.

Sometimes I think maybe she did have a kid, but something awful happened. She also tells me that I was conceived when she and the entire team, among with the entire American population, were banished by the villains to the Alaska province and she and my father decided to start a family due to the fact that they felt they would be stuck in Alaska for all eternity.

The funny thing is, my mother never told anyone she was pregnant with me, with the exception of Zazu that is. The ruse finally came undone when Joseph Beasley, the father of her best friend Judith Beasley, and who is also like my surrogate big sister, shot my mother and attempted to murder her - and unknowingly - me. Luckily the paramedics were summoned to the scene and my mother was rushed to the emergency room. How could my mother have known, but not tell anyone, about her pregnancy, not even her own husband, who she had known for over 40 years and had been married to for only 5 years? And it was in that Washington, D.C. hospital that I was born.

It wasn't until I turned 2 that my father told me that in one of his numerous moves as a child to flee the authorities as a result of his father doing illegal work in the Prohibition era, (he ran moonshine and other alcohol beverages and he also operated several underground bars in the city of Columbus, Ohio and other places), he moved to the capital city of the nation and his mother - my paternal grandmother - worked as an assistant manager of the veteran's administration.

I was in awe at what my paternal grandfather did but I'm not sure if I should be proud of him for what he did. And boy was Team Legacy surprised when they found out that there was a new member of the family in their mist - me. My mother had never been so happier, and nor could my father. He was ecstatic to be a father again after so many years and that was when I was introduced to the team, and of course to my immediate family. I met my stepbrother Jacob, and my stepsisters Frances and Hailey. I also met Judith Beasley, whom my mother had risked her life to save from her father. She is now like my sister too. The first month of my life was the happiest.

Then, came the devastating news - my mother, at the age of 69, was diagnosed with lung cancer. I couldn't believe it; my mommy was going to be taken away from me. I didn't want her to go, for I want her with me. I would cry and cry for her every day and scream to God, why does she have to suffer this now? Why now? Why not 40 years ago? Despite of the overwhelming rejoicing at my introduction ceremony, not everyone was accepting of me. The Sharp Tongued Elders didn't like me either, and one day when my mother took me out to the market, the leader put a curse on me and my mother; my mother was cursed to die a miserable and painful death and I was cursed to live a brutal life.

The first sign that the curse was authentic occurred when my mother contracted pneumonia and nearly died as a result while spending weeks in a hospital. She fought a good fight and I was proud of her. She was a very strong and courageous woman and taught me how to be brave and be willing to face danger and trouble head-on.

I loved my father too; he would do things to make me laugh and he would also tell me stories about his days on the Stephen Arlen Show and about his adventures with Bob Newton on his show as well as tell stories about his youth. But I was closer to my mother, and when my father died after a short illness, I clung to her even more. And my heart bled and broke into a million pieces when my beloved mother died too, just two weeks shy of her 71st birthday. I decided right then and there when I grew up, I will start up a foundation in honor of my mother and to raise awareness about lung cancer and to fight the tobacco companies to reduce and stall cancer deaths.

But fortunately I was not alone; my parents chose to remain on Earth and take care of me. Now I have accepted them as reincarnated ghosts, because after all, they're still my mom and dad. I could not have been more prouder than when my mother received her Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on what would have been her 71st birthday. I swear, I had to beam and cry tears of joy too when I saw her mentioned in a TIME issue. I'm glad people are taking the time and chance to honor my mother for her endless contributions to this society and the entertainment world. As a matter of fact, there is a web page here in memory of her.

Every time I visit it I would look at the endless quantities of pictures there and I would remember her for the woman she was: hell she was firm, tough, bawdy, very direct and she could be strict too, but she had a whole lot of love to give and she was compassionate and caring enough to give it to me, her angel, her miracle. God, I wish I was like her.

People say I look a lot like my mother and act a lot like her; I suppose that's true. The one thing I love about her is her voice, that smoky, husky, growly voice. Even a sharp, loud, "Susanna!" would compel me to sit up and wait for her next command the moment she saunters right into my room. Another thing about my mother: even though there are things that she wishes to put off telling me until I'm a lot older, let's say, when I'm 13 or so, or maybe 10 or 12, she is honest and frank about a lot of things.

For example, she was clean and honest about her prior relationship with my father. "You know, Susa, your father and I go back a long way, since the day we starred in a Broadway play together, called 'Jason & The Golden Fleece', wait, even before that! We used to sit in drama class together and after I divorced Troy we started going out," my mother had explained to me when I asked her how long she actually have known my father.

"Why didn't you get married then?" I asked her then, outraged and baffled at the extraordinary length of time between their first date AND their eventual marriage. "Well, we just had different priorities back then. It was not in his plans; it was not in mine, so that's why we ultimately went our separate ways. But we still kept contact with each other and we still remained friends. It wasn't until Tommy passed away that we fell in love again and this time we finally decided to get married. And I've never regretted it," my mother explicated her answer to me.

"But you and Daddy could have had more kids besides me! I would have more brothers and sisters besides Hailey, Jacob and Frances!" I shrieked objectively. "Well, what can I say, Susanna? It just wasn't what your father and I wanted at that time. I was more career-oriented and he wanted to do his own thing, and that was it. But I'm glad we had you, Susanna. And that's the important thing," my mother sighed while shaking her head and then when she uttered her final sentence, she smiled right at me and then gave me a hug, which made me feel better.

"Mommy, when am I going to have more brothers and sisters?" I made another inquiry. "TRUST ME, you and Team Legacy will know when your father and I are going to have another sibling for you," my mother reassured me with a laughing smile. Another one of the things my mother was frank with me about was about her two previous marriages. "I married Troy when I was about 28. I fell in love with him when we did 'Our Roman Adventures' together. I was also with Walter Studios at the time, and they kind of engineered it as well. We also did a couple of movies together besides 'Our Roman Adventures'. Those damn Hollywood assholes. They never knew exactly what to do with me."

"(Laughing) But I didn't give a damn then; I don't give a damn now. But unfortunately, our values did not match up; we were completely incompatible. It was the marriage, in short, I would rather forget about. I don't even speak a word to Troy to this day, even since he's in this godforsaken team! Never forget, Susanna, that Hollywood is all about the money, and that is exactly what they're after. If you really want to get into that world, go for it. If not, why bother with it?" she regaled me with the tale of how her first marriage to Troy London, who I was surprised to learn was a teen idol who girls would faint over, yeah you know the type, turned into a complete fiasco.

I'm not sure exactly what values Uncle Troy, as I indifferently yet begrudgedly refer to as, held, but he certainly had some values that pertain to take up drugs. My mother also told me about Tommy Granger, an oil business tycoon and a real estate agent. I prefer "Uncle Tommy" to "Uncle Troy" any day; Troy's no fun, all he does is drugs. And HE knows better than to mess with me; he does not need to be reminded of how his marriage to my mother fell apart. And my mother is equally reluctant to demonstrate this.

My life once again was as peaceful and happy as can be, with three loving stepsiblings, (or half-siblings, to be correct), and two loving parents, and a loving extended nontraditional family team, until one day in the summer of 2008, my world changed forever and was rocked down nearly to the ground.

It was just like any other summer, I was looking forward to spend the hot, sunny, dog-lazy days with my mother and father and I was just getting used to the fact that they were dead ghosts wandering in the earth when suddenly my personality was altered dramatically. I suddenly became rebellious; I couldn't understand it. The "terrible twos", as child psychologists would describe it, had finally hit me. I had transformed from my mother's beloved angel to an atrocious, monstrous brat practically overnight.

It all started when I met my now foster brother Kip Sawyer-McCray in the meadows. He was a really nice boy and definitely did not have a stable home life like I was so blissfully blessed with. He would actually wander around the streets along with his eldest brother Jessie, whom my leader Rhonda later met as well. He was someone I could relate to.

We clicked almost instantaneously, albeit our meeting started out strenuous and initially hostile. I hated how he interrupted my playtime and I was irritated that a boy would dare interrupt me. But the moment he started talking to me in baby language, a language I still understand in my toddling years, I fell instantly in love with him. I KNEW right at that moment I have found my soul mate. I was hit by the thunderbolt; love at first sight you can call it. Looking back now, it may seem incestuous, but back then we didn't even share a remote line of relations. But I don't care; he's still my prince.

But alas, Kip and I were kidnapped by Rhonda's villainous, nefarious distant cousin, Marie Frances, niece of Tess McNeal, daughter of Nessie McNeal, also distant relations of hers. We were taken to a distant barn and were severely attacked and assaulted by her and we would have died together were it not for my valiant mother and the team. They showed up duly and promptly and subsequently drove her out.

Kip and I were soon taken home and my mother Suzanne was determined to shush out the identity of my new boyfriend. I was stubborn; I was now in love and my now active, raging hormones compelled me to rebel against my own mother, and it was too much for one year old infant to take. It got to the point where I was arrested for underage driving in a Jeep compounded with possession of open alcoholic beverages with a bunch of African American teenagers inside.

My mother was infuriated and bitterly disappointed in me. I couldn't bear to look at my mother in shame. I knew I made her angry; I knew I let down both of my parents and my team. I let my feelings and emotions rule my head. Even I was in an age where I knew better; besides, I wasn't a newborn anymore.

I wish I didn't do the things I did; that way, my mother would never have cheated on my father with Capt. Leroy. My arrest was what led them to meet, and I think that is where the sparks were first ignited. Just the other day I told my mother of my feelings; she then pulled me aside and then explained to me that even though she was upset with me for what I did and still didn't like what I did, she is glad I am now aware of what I did wrong but reassured me I wasn't the catalyst that nearly engineered the breakdown of her marriage.

"You see, sweetheart, it wasn't your fault; it was my fault. You have nothing to do with what happened between your father and I. You have nothing to do with what happened with Capt. Leroy and what happened to you. You didn't ask for your father and I to be practically torn apart because of Leroy. You did not ask to be sexually harassed by Capt. Leroy, and you certainly did not ask to be sexually assaulted by him either."

"I take full and complete blame for what happened this past summer, I swear it. I don't even blame my leader for this. She has nothing to do with it. I used what happened between your father and Lena as an excuse for the series of events that nearly cultivated in me losing you. Yes, what they did was outrageous and totally inexcusable. I'm still upset at Lena for what she did. The best thing she could have done was say it to my face! If she had done that I would never have run away from The Superstars and run straight into Sharpeye's arms."

"Yes, Lena holds a lot of responsibility for nearly destroying my marriage and almost triggering the downfall of this team. She was the catalyst for our near-destruction. She was so selfish, inconsiderate and callous and could have cared less if all of us fell down from grace. But it was my fault for not taking responsibility when I should have. I too deserve my share of the blame. I should have never run away from my marriage and resort to an emotional affair. I should have never taken up with Capt. Leroy, but I did. And I had children with him, that was the worst part. I swore in the Kalahari Desert that I would never have a child that WASN'T Thomas's but I broke that vow when I made the decision to sleep with Capt. Leroy. And now I must pay for it for the next 18 years of their lives."

"I broke Thomas's heart, and I betrayed him just as he betrayed me. He betrayed me because he had no choice; I betrayed me because of spite and jealousy. I guess I am a proud woman, Susanna, a proud woman. And I almost let my selfish pride destroy my life and tarnish my respectable reputation. I want nothing else to do with Leroy. He almost had me ruin my life and destroy my home life. I'm glad Kip and the triplets are in my custody now. He is a disgusting, selfish, bastard pig. I love you, Susanna, and I love Thomas too. And this I swear on my father's grave: I never again will betray Thomas with my infidelity as long as I live," my mother elucidated to me in a length and solemn, emotive monologue.

I don't blame my mother for what she did, for what could a woman do in situations like this? Besides, she's my mother, and she did the only thing she could do in a scenario like that. And she was right about Capt. Leroy. From the moment he first set eyes on me, he was enchanted by me and he also took advantage of me by taking salacious and suggestive photos of me in addition to having intentions to using me as a substitute for my mother. He wanted to slay my father and marry my mother to have further access to me. I have reason to believe he was obsessed with me. He even wanted to marry me before Kip did. All of this behind my mother's back; disgusting and disgraceful!

I wanted nothing to do with him sexually but he took advantage of me. I was his little sex toy and I was powerless to stop him. I would rather marry Kip and bear his seed than marry his vile and hedonistic father. He is my world and my equal partner in every way imaginable. I know it sounds wrong but that's how I feel. If I had my way I would marry him. He's my best friend to put it that way. I wish now that Daddy would have come in and castrated him in addition to breaking his legs. That'll serve him right; it is damnable how he slept with my mother and attempted to copulate with me. Fortunately, all of this sexual and emotional abuse ended when he kissed me in the lips in the doctor's office and I raced into the bathroom door and locked myself in there.

I screamed for help and he burst into the door and attempted to assail me, but then my brave mommy rushed to the rescue and subdued him with her maternal rage. I could still hear her scream, "Damn you, Capt. Leroy! Don't you dare touch my little girl!" and you should have seen my gleeful grin when she flushed his face in the toilet! I'm glad her maternal instincts made her come back to her senses and urged her to get me out of danger. After all, I was still her angel.

Now my mother has all but severed ties with Capt. Leroy and even though she may still like him a little bit she is pretty much through with him. I'm pretty sure she was not set on marrying Leroy even though she bore his children and I'm glad she did not divorce Daddy because even though we aren't as close as I am to Mommy I would miss him terribly. His personality shines and bright up my life and I enjoy his company tremendously.

As for my triplet half-siblings Leah, Holly, and Francis, I tolerate them as much as possible and even though our relationship is strained at times due to the fact that we have different fathers and I still feel that they are intruders, I am glad that I have someone to play with anyway. I like to teach Francis about things I learn every day and I also like to gossip with Leah and Holly, especially about John and Katie's marital troubles. We also like to watch "Mercy Grace" and we're hooked on the Hailey Donald case too. What kind of mom would hook up with a sex offender and go on the run with him and HER DAUGHTER? It's mind boggling, even for a 2-year-old like me.

Even though my mother loves all three of her out of wedlock triplets equally, at the end of the day, she still has plenty of love for me! And my mother and father have never been more closer! I think that in a year or two they might start trying for another child! YAY! Leah, Holly, Francis and I might have another brother or sister to play with! Hopefully it's a boy, so Francis could have someone his age to play with. On the other hand, I hope it's a girl, so we have more girls to play with! I'll put in daily entries of my life with my mommy, daddy and Team Legacy! I will also put in biographies of some of the most important people in my life as well as my favorite things, like hobbies, television shows, games, foods, and movies too! I'll keep you informed, bye!


	2. Grisly Discovery

**Author's Notes:**

**Well, here's another diary entry written by Susanna! In this episode, she and her half-siblings were busy snooping ****around in the computer and after coming across a released autopsy report of a recently murdered little girl, her mother goes ballistic and shoos them out of the computer room before showing the findings to one of her newest teammates. Afterwards, Susanna gets a lesson on how some mothers do not care about their children and even get rid of them just to fulfill their selfish desires.****The next two entries after this one are a couple of drabbles involving her and her elderly mother and also of her younger foster brother Kip.**

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**

**Friday, June 19th, 2009 8:28 P.M.**

Boy, what a day! Leah, Holly, Francis and I were looking at videos on YouTube and we were also reading Casey Aragon's autopsy report online. Of course, our little online adventure was cut short when our mother caught us taking a peek at that said report.

"Susanna! Leah! Holly! Francis! What the fucking hell are you doing reading something you should not be reading on the Internet? That autopsy report is for a little girl your age that was brutally murdered and should not be for your eyes!" my mother hollered and screeched at us in a frantic and hysterical rage as she dragged us out of Daddy's computer room and threw us out of there, (not literally though), and banished us to the playroom to do something more appropriate.

My mother then proceeded to take a look at the report and from a distance I can hear her stifle a couple of horrified sobs and her distinctive rueful gasps as she beheld the horrific, grisly details of the report that lay before her, although it looked pretty clean though to me.

Beverly Andrews then walked into the room moments later and then enquired my mother. "Honey, what's wrong? I heard you screaming at the children just moments ago," she importuned her quizzically. "Bev, take a look at this god-awful report. You are going to wish you've never laid eyes upon it. It's every parent's nightmare. Just the word "skeletonized" scares the shit out of me," my mother riposted to her with a low, strained, trembling voice.

Beverly then puts on her reading glasses and skims through the report for a few minutes and within a matter of moments tears were brimming and watering in her eyes and she clutched her throat as if she was going to scream. She made gagging, choking sounds and even that disturbed me. "Oh, My, God!" Beverly gasped in trembling horror as she shook and quivered in a terrified manner.

And that was when she began to bawl and wail on top of my mommy's shoulder and she screamed in an agonized, pained, excruciating voice. "My God, Suzanne! What kind of vile, horrible person would dare do such a grisly deed to a little girl? That could have been my granddaughter right there!" she sobbed in a muffled voice as Mommy enfolded and clutched her in her arms and rocked her gently in a cradle to comfort her.

I immediately rushed into the room and then clung to Beverly in an attempt to reassure her that everything is all right. Beverly then glanced over her shoulder with a stricken, tear-stained, melancholic look in her face and then picked me up and then cradled me in her arms. "Susa, be grateful that you have a family who loves you and a mommy who loves you very much. This is a very dangerous and cruel world and there are a lot of little girls whose mommies don't treat them like they should. Do you understand, darling?" she murmured to me sadly and gravely and I nodded understandingly. "Good girl," she sniffled and then she cuddled me close to her as I smiled at the vulnerable, loving, compassionate woman.

Just the other day, my daddy had told me about the time he enlisted in World War II as a pilot in the rank of captain dropping TNTs on the European coast and participating in several dogfights with German airplanes as well as delivering supplies to and from American troops located in the European war front. "I wanted to kill Hitler," he said to me with a wry smile as he drifted in his recollections of the time he served fighting in WWII. "I was in the Second World War as a captain and I got in along with my brother Richard Davis, who is also your uncle. I didn't like the people he was hanging around with and therefore I wasn't too enthusiastic about going into the acting business. I was a sports enthusiast and the town I was born in, Columbus, Ohio, was sports crazy!"

"But the action ended just as quickly as I got in. Damn, that sucked. But you should be proud that your father is a World War II veteran who would go on a reconnaissance mission to destroy Hitler if I had to do it all over again. I would even do it for your mother, who you know is a sassy Jewish old gal." Heh, heh, my daddy. He could crack jokes with the best of them.

**9:51 P.M.**

It's almost 10 o' clock, do you know where your children are? NO! Because I don't have any! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Well, it kind of sucks because my mommy just dropped into my room to peek into the computer again. "Susanna, what the HELL are you writing?" Mommy interrogated me inquisitively and with a laughing smile as she peered down into the screen while I tried my darned hardest to ignore her. She read the last two entries I wrote and started laughing. "What is this random shit you're writing? Are you doing your own autobiography or something? Your life has barely started yet!" she cackled and howled with a rambunctious laughter.

I stared blankly into the screen before I slowly turned around and gave her the most deadly ugliest glare I gave anyone in my life. My mommy definitely did not like that, AT ALL. "Now don't you dare give me any attitude young lady. I don't like it when you get sassy and smart with me. Just because you're my daughter does not give you any right to act obnoxious and snobby," she scolded and chided with an equally deadly and portentous tone.

Don't react, Susanna, don't react, I thought to myself as I used all my strength to restrain myself from doing something so retarded that I know I'm going to regret later on and when I would look back, I would think, Goddamn it why did I do that? "Sorry Mommy," I ended up apologizing to her. "It's all right, honey. I just don't want you to end up like a spoiled little brat, do you understand me?" my mommy accepted my apology and then she gave me a little hug. I then nodded and then peered right into her obscure, jaded, dark blue/grey eyes that stared right into my youthful, radiant, midnight blue eyes that had a tint of emerald green. They kind of faded with age and I don't even blame Mommy for having eyes like that but I still find them pretty.

"Why is Lena such a bitch?" I suddenly spoke up to Mommy, and then I could see her usually fair, white, milky visage pale and blanche into a sickly hue as her face suddenly contorted into a livid and horrified expression. It's shit like this that throws her off sometimes; after all, you don't hear a 2-year-old use language like I do. "Lena is just dissatisfied with her life, that is all. She did not like how her life turned out and she is simply not a people person. Some people are just not as easily friendly as you and me. Of course she is a vile, selfish and greedy person I must admit, but that's one of those things," Mommy answered to me crisply in reply as her face toned down in its paleness and reverted back to its normal complexion as the initial shock of my question wore off on her.

She then brushed my spiky, frilly, smooth, soft, jet black raven hair that had white streaks on its spikes and tips and then bent down to my face level as she gazed right into my face. I was virtually a spitting image of her, I knew that and when I peered right into her solemn, grave countenance and felt her omnipresent and emotive eyes glare right into mine, it became more apparent.

"Susanna, it's late. Why don't you turn off your computer and head to bed?" she suggested to me. I then exited out of the word processing program and then logged out. I then subsequently turned off the computer and then jumped right into Mommy's arms and drifted off to sleep as she tucked me into bed with my plushies. I am now sleeping in a big girl's bed and my old crib has now been handed down to my triplet half-siblings.

Actually, it's a bunk bed; Kip sleeps at the top, while I sleep at the bottom. Mommy then lies down next to me and then reads to me a passage from "A Little Princess". She doesn't like me sleeping alone with Kip; she thinks we're going to do inappropriate things together. We're reading the part where Sara Crewe is attending her first day of class at Miss Minchin's all-girls school. After we're done with the passage, Mommy then kisses Kip and me goodnight and then she closes the door and turns out the light. I then snuggle into my plushies and turn on my side to go to sleep.

**10:37 P.M.**

DAMN IT! I hate it when Kip disturbs my beauty sleep. He makes the most annoying fart noses with his underarms that I've ever heard in my life. He also tries to scare me by whispering random quotes from movies, such as "You're going to die in 7 days, you're going to die in 7 days." Daddy is asleep right now and so are the triplets. We all sleep in the same room: Mommy, Daddy, Leah, Holly, Francis, Jacob, Frances, Hailey, Kip, and myself. That makes 10 of us as a family. Well, what can I do? I'll just turn in for the night and hopefully Kip would get bored of trying to scare me and go to sleep as well.

Well, looks like it works. I'm glad that now I have a diary to write my thoughts in. This is great, just great! I'm very excited about my birthday! Mommy says that something special is going to happen to me on my birthday, but I'm not sure what it is, but I hope it is good!

**Author's Notes:**

**Tune in for the next installment!**

**Read and review!**

**R.P.**


	3. Man I Hate Rainy Days!

**Author's Notes:**

**Okay, this is yet another entry in Susanna's diary. She describes the conversation she has with her mother on the eve of her birthday and she also learns some important information about herself, as well as gaining some insight into their close and intimate relationship. Also in this chapter a little ritual of Amalthea is mentioned in which when a superhero turns 3-years-old, he or she immediately starts official training in order to become a professional superhero; this is done by throwing a little debutante ball to introduce that person into superhero society. I know it might seem early to introduce little kids into the world of superheroes, considering it would be years before they can gain complete control of their powers, so I guess better late than never, huh? After this chapter will be Susanna's birthday!  
**

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**Man I Hate Rainy Days!**

This sucks! I can't watch television now because it is pouring profusely outside. I hate it when it rains especially when I have something important to record, like a new episode of Dr. Phil for instance. Oh well... Like my mother says, it can't be helped. However, I am very excited and eager for my birthday to arrive. I'm just puzzled and baffled at what my mother means by something special will happen on my birthday.

What special occasion will happen on my birthday, besides the 4th of July and my birthday? I just don't understand... Will Mother announce to the entire family that Kip is now an official member of our family and therefore my legal brother? Or something even better: Mommy is going to have a new baby! But I'm still scared; what if there is a sign that my womanhood is coming? I'll be a freak by the time I enter school! Do my parents know something that I don't?

My mother is even sewing a special dress for me; it's a vanilla cotton fiber sweater stitched with traces of red and strawberry sequins and thread and it has a heart design with a dove intertwined in it on the center of the sweater. It also is an accessory to a flimsy, slender, sinewy white satin strapped ballroom dress that is sparkly and dazzling with tiny diamonds.

She also bought me a pair of diamond earrings that dangles from my ears and she also wants to do my hair as well. "I'm going to coif and curry your hair into a cute, dashing, rakish little bun that is reminiscent of the Romanov era. You are going to look like a little Anastasia. My little girl is going to look so adorable!" my mother informed me with a chirpy tone in her voice as she brushed my hair. She then tussled and played with my spiky, bristled, white tipped streaked hair before adding with a slight frown bent in her lips, "I am definitely going to trim that little hairdo of yours and make you a little more feminine. You look too much like a Goth girl (Chuckling)." Oh, no...

She then lifts down a transparent wedding veil onto my head and examines me closely before saying to me with a joyful and elated voice, "You look just like a bride. My old heart will be so filled with joy the day you get married to someone you love. I was married two times before I met your father. I just hope you get married to someone you will spend the rest of your life with. I would hate for you to end up like me." My heart sank and I felt sorry for my mother as I detected her rueful, lamentable voice. My mother had been through so much; I thought to myself, she deserves so much happiness.

"Mother, what is the surprise you're planning for me?" I enquired my mother. "Tomorrow is going to be one of your most important birthdays of your life. You're about to reach a very important milestone; you're about to be formally introduced as a significant member of superhero society and will be presented as a young woman."

"Also, you're about to undergo an important event in your Jewish education and also in your life. There is something I must tell you; when you were two weeks old, I took you to the doctor in order to get you examined. The doctor did a thorough examination of you and gave me the shocking news: your eggs were unusually viable. That means that you can start being reproductively mature as early as 7-years-old. However, the doctor also said that your menstrual cycle may start at 3-years-old, so tomorrow, you should be watchful."

"This is also why I don't want you and Kip to sleep in the same bed; I'm afraid that he may impregnate you and the two of you might be obliged to enter an early marriage, and I don't want that, because you're not ready to get married and I'm adopting Kip as my son. I know this may be an inappropriate time to mention this to you, but don't take this the wrong way; if you ever have any questions you can always come to me, okay?" my mother calmly and placidly explained to me.

I was shocked and shaken by what I had heard and I remember swerving around to meet my mother face-to-face with a dumbstruck and flabbergasted expression on my face. "I don't want to get pregnant right now Mommy," I stammered timidly with a quivery voice. "I know, that's why it is best to wait until you grow up to start trying to have children," my mother stated to me patiently as she huddled me close to her.

"Why is it a milestone for me to become an important member of superhero society?" I asked my mother inquisitively as I perked my head up to her. "Because when you turn 3-years-old, which is only a day away, that is when you start officially training to become a powerful superhero and start working on your powers and abilities; in addition, you also get to start actively fighting with the team, albeit with supervision," Mommy answered to me in reply.

"So I now get to become a real superhero?" I chirped with a growing smile in my face. "Of course and we'll get a mentor for you as soon as possible and it's going to depend on how much we can afford to pay that mentor," my mother continued to explain to me. "Will it be like the quinceneras?" I persisted with my constant questioning. "Sort of; it'll be a small birthday party for you and also a huge, extravagant ceremony for you at City Hall."

"The mayor and his staff has birth certificates of every citizen that has inhabited Amalthea, making them able to pinpoint your birthday. Considering that you were also one of the first children born after the end of World War 2004 and The American War 2006, this will be a very special occasion for you," my mother returned a very patient and diligent reply to me loyally. I then flashed a brilliant grin at her and then hopped on my mother's lap while she murmured in a low voice, "Oh my God my baby's growing up so fast I can't believe it." Then she picked me up and soon the two of us were collaborating for me to try on my new dress and my new sweater.

Originally written July 3rd, 2009 at 4: 19 P.M.


	4. Happy Birthday Susanna! Part 1

**Author's Notes:**

**This is part one of the entry depicting Susanna's special birthday; she chronicles the step to step basis on how her day progresses and she also gives some insight into what her family life is like and the relationship is between her and her parents. There is also a scene that explores the complicated and tumultuous relationship between Lena Rosenberg and Susanna, who both share a birthday, as Lena reveals her feelings about her actions surrounding the infamous summer of 2008 and also confesses her conflicting feelings that stem from childhood memories that still haunt her to this very day. ****I think this is by far the most emotional piece I've ever written because you get a very good insight into Lena's mind and you also get a very good idea of why she did the things she did back then. I think even though Lena might have resented Susanna at times and might have even despised her, she also feels some sort of connection to the child and shares a very close and intimate bond with her, especially with a pet nickname Susanna used to call her when she was a baby.**

**Since I wrote this the summer before this past summer, I'm not sure if I'll be able to continue this. I hope I get to finish this soon; if I do end up writing Part 2, I might have to complete this story right then and there and write a follow-up to this diary if I can. But don't worry; there will be more stories to come, with the next one portraying Dorothy Zbornak. I hope to continue this as soon as possible but I don't see that happening in the near future; perhaps when I get an unexpected idea I'll begin Part 2 and that's it.**

**Read and review!  
**

**Happy Birthday Susanna! Part 1**

Yay! Now I finally get to tell everyone about how my birthday went. It was the best birthday present my parents could ever give me. My parents woke me up with a "Happy Birthday!" morning greeting and to my surprise I was given a 10 week old tawny/auburn cocker spaniel named Turquoise, who had violet and turquoise eyes and fine, fluffy, smooth fur. She had squiggly and wavy ears and a rounded head and face and she also had the smallest muzzle I've seen in my life in addition to an overbite.

My mother kept dogs throughout her life, including one that looked like Zira. During the time she was filming "The Beautiful Great Dane", she owned a Yorkshire named Misty that would go crazy whenever she would return home from the set. And now my mother wanted to share her love of dogs with me by getting me a puppy for my birthday.

"Susa, this is your new cocker spaniel, Turquoise. Your father and I bought her from a kennel two blocks from here the night before and we wanted to surprise you for your birthday. However, you can't play with her right now because you need to get ready for your big superhero introduction society gala. In the meantime, Jacob, Frances and Hailey will take care of your new puppy, so don't worry about anything," Mommy informed me about what lay ahead of me on my special birthday morning. On the edge of my chair, my white cotton fiber sweater with the dove and the heart entwined on it and my white, slender, sinewy, strapped satin ballroom dress were carefully left dangling along with a thin, transparent, silky veil.

On my desk was a Cameroon lady hat, with buttercups and daisies clustered together in a uniform clump and adorned and ornated with slick and smooth, thick feathers of magpies and crows, (which I think is kind of disgusting and repugnant for my eyes if you ask me), and tied with a black velvet ribbon around the middle of the hat. I was then picked up by my mother and then ushered into the bathroom where I was promptly bathed and my hair washed and scrubbed thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. "Thomas, will you go get it?" my mommy hollered from the drizzling and pouring of the shower water raining down on my body. "Okay, Suzanne!" Daddy replied cheerfully and then I could hear him rush downstairs to receive whoever happened to be visiting on that day and then when he opened the door it was a mailman! "Here's your mail, sir," the mailman answered.

My daddy then gathered the mail in his hands, thanked the mailman, and then retreated inside the house as the mailman calmly walked away. He then sorted through the mail on the counter in the kitchen and saw four envelopes mailed especially to me and then he read the names of the people who sent me birthday mail: Aunt Salina, Dr. Hubert, my pediatrician, Natasha Richards, and her mother, Vanessa Remington.

He then opened Aunt Salina's envelope and then read her card. It had a glowing teddy bear on it and had a strawberry pink background with a tree and some grass in the background. Aunt Salina wrote, "Hello, Susanna, I just want to say happy 3rd birthday and I am so glad that you're thriving and doing well! I am elated to hear that you have three new half-siblings and you're also getting a new brother as well!"

"I'm sorry that I can't come to your superhero introduction ceremony and to your big birthday bash because I'm swapped with things to do from the German council concerning the current economical crisis; (you don't need to hear about that, darling, just go and enjoy your birthday party!), but with this birthday card I hope that you're at least comforted by the fact that I care about you enough to wish you a happy birthday and that I love you. Sincerely, Aunt Salina."

Daddy then opened up Dr. Hubert's envelope and then scanned through his letter and also took a peak at the birthday card. The cover depicted a duckling fishing through the lake with his nose submerged in the water looking for evasive codfish. Dr. Hubert's birthday card stated, "Hope you have a happy birthday! I wish you a happy and long, prosperous life! Dr. Hubert."

The letter said, "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gaston Carmichael, I am excited and exuberant at the fact that Susanna's 3rd birthday has finally arrived. You do not know how long I have been waiting for this day! Mr. Carmichael, when I was commissioned to the care of your wife when she was first admitted to the O.R. at the Washington, D.C. Clinical Hospital, I was dubious and skeptical that her unborn daughter would survive the operation, given the fact that your wife was 69-years-old at the time; about 40 years late for her to be giving birth at this period of time in her life."

"But the risks that were abound in this operation and the probable tragic consequences that could have resulted were well worth it, because now the two of you have a beautiful, spirited, animated young lady in your hands, and well on her way to become one of the greatest superheroes of all time. I really and truly believe that God holds a special plan for this little girl."

"The first 3 years of her life must have without a doubt been harsh trials for you; Susanna had been through so much and had demonstrated her resilience and robust will to live with grace and dignity, just like her mother. Any other child could have been so severely traumatized to the point where he/she can isolate and distance themselves from their peers and become complete recluses, away from their family, friends and society."

"Susanna has shown some significant effects from the horrific events she was forced to live through, such as her apparent mistrust of police officers and other related authorities and her tendency to cling to her mother whenever she encounters any burly, brawny, husky men on social outings. But with the help, support and love of her parents, Susanna has managed to make a good amount of progress in healing emotionally and is now more or less back to normal, even though it is as yet undetermined as to how much emotional damage Susanna has suffered together as a whole and to what extent, if any, can it be treated and virtually cured. It is a miracle that Susanna came out of this practically unscathed as she did; for that you should be thankful."

"I am proud of your daughter and I am honored to be the host of her huge birthday bash and her superhero ceremony; I just hope all goes well and that nothing serious happens. This special day holds meaning for all of us, whenever we know it or not. One of our own has now come of age into the superhero business, and we should celebrate it. Again, I thank you two and keep up the good work on raising Susanna to be a contributing member of our wholesome American society. Sincerely, Dr. Hubert."

Furthermore, my daddy then moved on to the penultimate letter, the one Natasha Richards wrote. This time her card consisted of a garden of daisies, tulips, blossoms, forget-me-nots, Susan black eyes and buttercups, and a pair of jays taking off into the skies while a cardinal is perched onto a stalk of grass on the bottom left corner, glaring, seething and fuming with envy. That was so cute! Who knew that British people could be so creative! Daddy then peered at the card curiously. "Have a wonderful birthday, Susanna; you definitely deserve it. Take care of yourself, love. Sincerely and yours truly, Natasha Jenna Richards."

Then Daddy proceeded to read a handwritten letter from Natasha. She wrote, "Dear Mr. Thomas Gaston Carmichael and Mrs. Suzanne Anne Carmichael, I am writing to congratulate you of your daughter's 3rd birthday. It must be a very special occasion for you; I am also writing this letter to thank you for all that you had done for us; you, your leader and your entire team should be proud that you've helped my family and I go through a very difficult time in our lives. I have not had an opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks for some time now and I take this happy event as an opportune time to do so. Again, thank you for all of your help and may your daughter have a happy birthday. With love, Natasha Richards."

Last but not least, Daddy ripped open Vanessa Remington's envelope and then read her card and letter. "Happy birthday, little one!" Vanessa inscribed in the card that had a ballerina design on it. Then, my daddy found her letter and then looked at it. It said, "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carmichael, Natasha and I CANNOT thank you enough for all that you've done for our esteemed family. No words can describe the gratitude and joy for the time that all of you Team Legacy kids took the time and had the compassion and sympathy to aid a family fraught with pain, sorrow and anguish. You truly are one of the greatest superhero teams in the world and perhaps in the universe."

"If you have read my daughter's letter you would get at least a subtle hint of our present sentiments towards you and therefore my letter will be brief. I presume that you have a lot to do today for Susanna's birthday party so I will not take up your time by having you read my letter. Thank you for having the courtesy to read my letter and thank you again for being so compassionate and willing to yield some aid to us. We, including myself, are FOREVER indebted to you. Sincerely, Vanessa Remington."

"TOM! We better get going! Get dressed, will you?" Mommy hollered at Daddy. "Sure thing, Suzanne," Daddy complied and then he sped upstairs and tore right into the room to scramble for some last minute attire to wear for his daughter's special birthday. Finally he came out wearing a tuxedo, black pants, some tap dance shoes with black laces, and he also wore a bowler hat. Soon everyone stampeded downstairs all dressed in formal clothes and then they were all congregated at the front door. Daddy's hair was all slicked up and he was the very first one at the door.

Everyone in Team Legacy wore at least a variety of some of the expensive clothes in the world; some women wore mink coats and fur caps, (i.e. Alexis Carrington), most males wore tuxedos in varying lengths and sizes, and also the style and type of shoes that were worn also differed. For some reason Reuben had a moustache on while wearing a stiffly, smooth, leather tuxedo and a bow tie. Angel wore a silky, satin, overflowing, translucent wedding dress with a veil on and a pair of white, satin, diamond adorned gloves.

Leroy had a top hat, a tuxedo with a tie, some black formal trouser pants, Wellington boots, a right eyeglass, and a golden packet with a plentiful mint of cigars. Angela Lansing wore a white dress with puffy, ruffled sleeves, an long, overflowing skirt, and a thin, angular neckline along with a brooch and Beverly Andrews herself wore a polyester midnight blue/indigo, ruffled, satin, suede dress that had a dangling, lengthy skirt that reached all the way to her ankles and she was also decorated and curried with diamond earrings and a pearl necklace.

Celeste Hunter wore an amber/honey mink fur coat streaked and stole with black, bold tiger stripes and a matching fur hat. She had ruby lipstick on and also dabbed some mascara and eye shadow on her face. Beverly wore lipstick, eye shadow, mascara, some eyeliner, and some blush to paint color on her face. She also wore a heavy, black trench coat just in case and her hair was coiffed with a swirly, curled, scruffy bun.

And my mommy was dressed in a dazzling, sparkling, peach white ballroom gown with ripples on the umbrella-shaped skirt and spotted with tiny shimmering and gleaming pearls and diamonds. Her dress was completely sleeveless and had two straps on it and the neckline was low to medium, so she had to wear a golden ladybug brooch to cover her cleavage. Additionally she also wore a thick, fluffy, smooth, soft, overflowing mauve/wine colored mink fur stole, which was fake of course and wore simple pearl earrings and a dangling pearl necklace around her neck, which cost $20,000.

Mommy also carried me in the crook of her right arm, and I was wearing the outfit that she picked out for me, with the white cotton fiber sweater worn on top of my birthday ballroom dress. My face was also disguised with the thin, transparent, silky veil and my long, curling, straight hair had been significantly curried and stylized in a 60's style and trimmed to the point where my trademark white streaked bristles were completely gone and the tips of the ends of my hair were curled outward like the tentacles of an octopus. My Cameroon lady hat also rested snugly on the top of my small head with the magpie feathers and ribbons conspicuous. I sometimes wonder to myself, I get the formal dressing rule but is the veil really that necessary or is it a random accessory that my mother picked out from out of the blue?

"All right, team. We're going to City Hall as of this moment; it is 20 blocks from here and depending on the road conditions we should be able to get there as soon as possible," my father announced to the entire team solemnly. "Tom, Susanna's birthday bash is in the City Hall building right on the top floor, right? It's where the meetings usually take place and where they hold the most expensive balls and parties in the world for highly esteemed families, social events and gatherings and for charities and causes?" my mother inquired Daddy inquisitively. She seemed a little worried, I could tell, behind all of that makeup she put on her photogenic face: the mascara, the blush, the eye shadow, the eyeliner, the lipstick; the works. And she was biting her freaking' nails too!

Yubaba wore a saffron/auburn lady hat with feathery ruffles stitched within the hat and also with a duck feather sticking out of the hat and also wore an expensive, silky, golden ballroom dress that was scrunched up and wrinkled because of her portly and chubby size. Lena Rosenberg herself wore a red/garnet fur ballroom gown with cylinder-shaped sleeves that had a soft and smooth texture with a dark crimson hue. She also had a maroon boa and mink stole, with a silver tiara with a ruby adored on it that was sitting on her black, short, sloping, silky hair. She also wore diamond earrings and a diamond lavaliere.

Lena looked like a majestic, regal, sophisticated, classy queen with elegant taste, even if she's somewhat mean and nasty at times. But I wouldn't want to upset her - today's her birthday too. Today she is chronologically 89, even though she is eternally 87 due to the fact that she is a reincarnated ghost. Wow! She's almost 90 years old! I guess that makes the two of us then - Lena's about to enter her 90's while I'm turning into a big girl today. Sometimes she envies me.

...

"You know, kid, sometimes I'm so jealous of you - you're becoming more beautiful every day and you're growing up into a young lady, and I'm the one who's getting older!" Lena snapped at me as I watched her pretty herself up for a date with Henry about two weeks before our birthdays.

"You don't have to be jealous, Lena; we share the same birthday," I piped in innocuously. "Ha, ha, ha!" Lena scoffed scornfully as she spun around and glowered at me. "Listen, kid, I don't know why the fucking hell your parents chose to hide you when you were in your dear mother's womb from the time the damn American War 2006 started when the villains threw us out of the 49 states of America and banished us to Alaska, to the time where we beat the crap out of Gantu, Reuben, Sir Ruber and his stupid griffin pet in an epic battle in outer space! I don't know why Suzanne never came to me! I just don't understand; I thought she trusted me! I thought we were best friends! I still resent her for that; do you realize how betrayed I feel towards your own mother! I feel like a fucking older sister who resents the presence of her younger sister!"

"And no one remembered my fucking birthday until a couple of days after we finished our epic mission to find Oxy and take her home! I'm glad Suzanne had the balls to give me a nice gift and I'm glad everyone brought in a birthday gift and a delicious cake for me, but I still feel pissed! Maybe I am actually jealous; maybe I'm afraid that everyone's going to ignore me and direct all their attention to you! Do you know how much it hurts to be ignored by your own mother, when all you want is her attention and love, all you want for her is to give you the time of day to pay any attention to you?" By then tears had seeped out of her eyes and Lena collapsed into her crossed arms and she started to sob and wail inconsolably as I could only stare at her with widened eyes in dead silence with my jaw dropped.

This lady has kept all of this emotional turmoil within her soul for THIS LONG? I thought to myself with a mortified and disheartened, disenchanted expression on my face. How can you spend 88 years of your life mulling and struggling with the vivid memory of the injustice that your mother has inflicted against you? I can't believe her! I've been through worse than her I'll tell you that! "Hey lady!" I shrieked with an explosive flair of my temper and then Lena swerved around and glowered at me with an infuriated and indignant sneer.

"You little brat..." she started with her cracking and strained, rueful, anguished voice. "I've been through worse shit than you! I've had my mommy run around with someone who is not my daddy and he ended up impregnating her with my half-siblings! Capt. Leroy sexually assaulted me and treated me as if I was white trash garbage and abused me severely and took advantage of me! My parents almost split up because of him, and I've never been able to completely get over it."

"Some nights I would peer fearfully at my bedroom window and I would lay wide awake for hours, fearing and terrified that Capt. Leroy would break through the window and take me and Kip away from the club and hurt the both of us. I've even had nightmares about that, where my parents fail to rescue me and Kip and I are slaughtered at the hands of the captain. If you think you've had it worse, put yourself in my shoes sometime," I interrupted her brusquely and curtly as I raved and ranted and yelled and screeched about how much suffering and pain I was forced to endure and be subjected to when Capt. Leroy dated my mommy.

"You are so pathetic..." Lena hissed snarkily as she turned away from me and smoked with a long, skinny, black and white incense cigarette and gazed hard at her haggard and grotesque reflection in the mirror. She pondered and meditated her thoughts for a few minutes when her face lit up and she was struck with a moment of realization.

"I was responsible for you. I was responsible for every single one of you! I was responsible for everything that happened in this house! When your mother started dating Capt. Sawyer-McCray I was already the leader of this gang! I should have done something to prevent the consequences but I was already too corrupted and wrapped up in my own power to do anything about it. This bullshit happened right under my nose and I should have been on high alert about it. If there is anyone who should apologize to you about this incident, it should be me. But it wouldn't do any good, because I cannot reverse the past, I cannot wipe away all of the horrible memories of that dreadful summer. You were forced to face life in its most raw and cruel form."

"My childhood insecurities that I was forced to cope and deal with all my life are moot compared to the horrible things you had to witness. Maybe there's a reason why the two of us share a birthday together. Perhaps somehow our destinies are connected and linked together by unforeseen circumstances. Susanna, on your birthday I'm going to give you something special, something that should help you on your journey to become the most powerful superhero there is. I don't know where I'm going to find it, but I'll find it somewhere."

...

"I'll never forget the day I held you in my arms in the dark, quiet, serene living room when I was assigned to care for you while the rest of Team Legacy went out. You were just two weeks old and you weighed just about the same as you did when you were born. You were so cute, adorable and bubbly, I'll admit. A pain in the ass spoiled brat that occasionally gets on my nerves but you were an angel, most of the time."

"I remember feeding you in the same way I fed my sextuplets as I sat in the sofa and cradled you in my arms. You were calm, quiet and fortunately not that fussy. I was getting sleepy and was about doze off into a nap when suddenly the house rocked and trembled with a wild shake and the earth started to quiver with a rumbling roar. And that was when I hear the whooshing and whistling of the quick, blustery, heavy gales of wind and also the crunching and snapping of trees and houses being uprooted from their places and disintegrating and crumpling in the midst of the gusts of wind.

Holy shit... I remember thinking to myself. A tornado has struck in the Southbends! I recall clutching my throat and felt like I was going to scream in terror. I quickly vaulted out of the sofa and dashed right to the basement underneath the club as the ferocious tornado ripped and tore through the neighborhood and was about to strike The Legacy Mansion. I enfolded you in the bosom of my chest and I held on to you tightly as I detected the sound of the tornado thundering and crashing through the club and devouring it as if it were a piece of cake. I raced and torpedoed through a thousand hallways and I stampeded down several flights of stairs and many times I had to hurtle myself down 10 feet down each in order to keep a safe distance away from the tornado.

The club was breaking down into a million of pieces and was disintegrating and evaporating right before my eyes and when I got to the basement I was just inched from being sucked into the mighty storm. Luckily, I quickly kicked down the door and barreled right into the basement and took out my samurai sword. It was in a deep shade of black and the jewel encrusted in it was glowing a crimson red.

I then plunged the sword into the ground and then I was engulfed in a flurry of red electrical sparks and swift gusty gales of shadows as I slowly but surely transformed and morphed into a crystallized cocoon that trapped you and I into a large, gigantic crystal shadow diamond that served as a protective dome to shield us from the effects of the weather. In a matter of moments the both of us were rendered immobile.

I felt the tornado blow and cast its deafening winds that not only drowned out all of the outside sounds but tore apart and completely demolished the house by wiping out everything in sight and shattering and breaking glass, wood, and even displacing several pieces of brick off our roof and hurtling them right at some of our neighbors' houses. Some of the floors had wood planks that were uplifted from the ground and were torn right off, leaving huge, wide, gaping holes on the ground. A lot of our possessions were lost during the storm and were tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper; we did manage to retrieve most of our possessions mostly from our neighbors' houses and off the streets, but a handful of our stuff are still missing.

...

When the team finally returned from their outing, you should have seen the look on their faces: the rooms were left in disarray with debris scattered and littered all over the place, (papers, books, folders, pencils, pieces of glass shards left from windows, toys, weapons, bed sheets, pillows, food, etc.) and many pieces of furniture were thrown from their normal positions and left lying on the ground, blocking some of the exits. The tables were overturned and some of the chairs were left lying out in the backyard."

"The electricity was shut down and many of the wires were dangling and sprawled out in the open, waiting for an unfortunate accident to happen. Some of the electrical appliances had exploded into small bonfires. Your father accidentally got electrocuted by an exposed wire when he tried to search for you in the disassembled mess. The accompanying thunderstorm that came in an hour after the tornado must have caused some of our electrical equipment to combust into flames."

"Your mother was furious when she and the rest of the team finally managed to tread through the ramshackle house and advance towards the basement and find me cradling you in my arms. She was outraged that I used a potentially dangerous spell that could have endangered both of our lives and therefore we could have been killed. 'What the hell, Lena, what the hell?' Suzanne yelled at me in a hysterical rage once she got a chance to confront me. 'Do you realize that the tornado could have sucked you in and cast you right out into the open and get the two of you killed? I was petrified when I couldn't find Susanna anywhere in the house.'

'You know how important and precious Susanna is to me. She's my only flesh and blood daughter and if anything were to happen to her I'll never forgive myself for it. How could you scare me like that and think that my little Susa was in danger?' She then took a few minutes to calm down and then she gave me a big hug and sobbed in a muffled voice as she buried her head on my shoulder.

'You're a good friend, Lena. You saved my daughter's life. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's not easy raising your first child; anything could happen and I'm not taking chances this time around. I thank you for all your help today,' Suzanne sighed as she addressed me with a soft and gentle smile. And I've never been happier, because when I looked at you, you were grinning at me with your raw, pinkish gums exposed and you were giggling as if nothing had happened. 'Lala,' you babbled to me. I remember you calling me that every single day and I would get constantly annoyed at that."

...

"I guess I'm still your Lala after all these years. I'll admit we have a very tumultuous and stormy relationship at times and things between us can get very tense, but I guess I do love you. Speaking of which..."

Lena sighed and mumbled to herself as she viewed right through the mirror with such a stoic, tranquil and grave expression on her face that it seemed as if she were talking only to herself and not to anyone else in the room, including me, although I heard every word she had to say; she raised her voice and screamed and berated and chided at herself on how she could have let her greed, avarice and lust for power cloud her judgment and put me in serious risk and also allowed all of those unfortunately events that befell us to transpire right under her nose and then eventually she just rambled on and on about memories that had preoccupied her, with her tone, voice, and expression changing rapidly at every thought, as if she were reliving them and preoccupying herself with them, and her eyes flickered and narrow with every trace of emotion that plagued her.

She then swiveled to meet me face to face and then beamed at me with a smile. "Why don't you come with me and Henry? We'll take you to a local Dairy Queen so you can eat all of the fucking crap you want. How's that sound?" I nodded and then I toddled right into her arms and then she picked me up by the underarms and then held me tight as she whispered in my ear, "We're going to have to ask your mother to come with us though, okay?" I then nodded my head enthusiastically and then Lena took me to my mommy, after which Mommy gave her permission to take me to Dairy Queen as long as I came home by 11:00.

Then, Henry and Lena whisked me out of the house and then for their date they went to an all you can eat Japanese buffet. I had some shrimp and some ribs and then I stuffed my mouth with the Girl Scouts blizzard they were recently advertising. I had ice cream splattered all over my mouth and I looked like a 8 month old baby who was just learning how to eat with utensils, with the ice cream dripping and smudged all over my blouse and my face was splotched with chocolate and ice cream that spread all over my mouth, making me look sort of like a clown. "God, Henry, she's just as spoiled as the sextuplets are," Lena grumbled and muttered to her husband as I continued to feast on my blizzard and grimaced as I was gorging myself like a "big, fat piggy", as my mother would say.

...

"Now, Susa, I don't want you to eat too many sweets you understand? There are kids your age that are already starting to develop atherosclerosis from eating fast food and other junk food," my mother once said to me as I started to slosh cookies and cream drizzled and sprayed with chocolate syrup into my mouth. "Why?" I squeaked casually as I continued to splurge myself into my sugar-induced feast.

"It's the way of the modern world, sweetheart. People are given to indulge themselves in detrimental, deleterious lifestyles because they are so caught up in the rat race adult world where you have to work to make a lot of money. The fast food industry make profuse quantities of profits primarily due to the fact that people come in to their restaurants on any given day and buy their products," Mommy tried to explain to me.

"Like whoppers, toys, cheeseburgers, and sundaes?" I quipped inquisitively. "That's right; now it's all about doing things quick and get it over with. That's why I want you to be as healthy as can be. You ever seen 12-year-old fat boys walking in the street? That's because they didn't take care of themselves very well and if they do not stop from continuing the path that they're on right now, they could face a lot of deadly consequences in the future; you can even get a heart attack or a stroke. That's one of the consequences of smoking as well; in my case, it was cancer."

"No one told any of us in the 60's that smoking was bad for you. The harmful effects of smoking were clearly misunderstood in my day. Hell, if I knew just how bad smoking was, I probably would have quit. That is why so many of my colleagues now wind up with a long list of health problems, including cancer. I don't want you to smoke either, Susanna. You're my daughter and considering my history with smoking, you could be predisposed to developing a nicotine addiction. I want you to be as healthy as possible and I'm going to help you do that, but in the end it's all up to you," my mother explained to me as she educated me on the effects the fast food industry had on people's lives and she also enlightens me on back in her day people were ignorant on just how impact smoking could have on their lives.

I then gawked at my bowl of ice cream and peered at my mother quizzically. My mother then sauntered over to me and then wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Listen, honey, I don't want to burst your bubble; I only want to protect you. Just be a kid, but for God's sake be careful," she murmured to me sympathetically and then strolled away to leave me eat in peace. I then frowned for a moment as I looked at my blizzard, but then shrugged at the memory of my mother's words and then continued to eat on anyway.

"(Sigh) Oh Henry, this reminds me of when we took Oxy to the park and she started shooting fireballs at the ducks as if she was at a shooting range," Lena sighed as she watched me finish my dessert. "Yeah, the fireballs went off like fireworks; she practically scared all of the people away," Henry agreed, also recalling that day. "You know, Oxy IS practically our daughter and James's like a brother to her," Lena pointed out to Henry directly. "She's our goddaughter for Pete's sake; James's her older godbrother. We could actually get custody of her if something were to happen to Laverne and The Phantom Of The Opera. That was in their adoption agreement when Laverne and The Phantom Of The Opera formally adopted her," Henry notified Lena informatively.

"(Chuckling) Of course! Henry, do you remember when Oxy married Oxygen? This little pip squeak over here was no more than two weeks old," Lena chortled gaily while gesturing over to me with her left hand. "That's right! Oxy and Oxygen have been married for about 3 years now. They also have 6 children as well: Oxyi, Oxine, Pentagon, Hexagon, Oxygon... crap, I forgot who was the sixth child," Henry continued on with his reminscening and then his mind went blank. Lena shook her head.

Even though the two of them were now dead and had died at approximately the very same age - 87 - Henry was still struggling with his senility and tended to forget things, which was why he was judged to be incompetent to stand trial. And as for Lena, the more sensible, strategical, calculating, competent of the two, was left to be picked on by the vultures that were the court justice system. Or so according to her mindset. Not that Henry would be considered to be retarded, hell, he was a brilliant businessman who knew his way around the realty business; he owned dozens of hotel chains across the state of New York alongside his more notorious wife during his tenure as The King Of New York.

Lena had the upper hand to being capable of wielding enormous amounts of power to her advantage when she and Henry took over as the leaders of Team Legacy, leaving her husband to be trapped within her own shadow. Lena did implement some pretty good upgrades to the team when she was still in authority, and I believe that if she had not let the power go to her head, she would have engineered one of the most powerful superhero teams of all time.

She had so much potential as the Queen of Team Legacy, and yet she blew it. I feel so bad for her though; she's like the quintessential anti-heroine of this team whose clandestine, shadowy past stalks her every move no matter how hard she tries to redeem herself - when she's not being a bitch.

I finally finished my blizzard and I started licking inside the blizzard cup as if it was a bowl of cake batter my mother and I were baking."Susanna!" Lena screamed at me in an explosive fit of rage as she swung a hand at me and was about to strike me across the face when Henry came right into my rescue and grabbed his wife's wrist in an attempt to block her hand. "Lena! Don't you dare lay a hand on Susanna! You don't know what Suzanne would do to you if you were to lay a hand on her child!" he scolded her fiercely and then Lena lowered her hand and then gawked at her husband with a stricken and mortified, disheartened visage and stuttered as she tried to come up with something to say to her lord and king.

"Henry... I don't know what came over me; I'm sorry," she stammered to her husband in dismayed shock. "You're damn right you're sorry. Suzanne will be furious at what you tried to do to Susanna once she finds out about this," Henry chided his wife reproachfully with a cross facial expression. Lena just gulped and stared herself right into space, dreading at what kind of horrific punishment she'll receive from my mother once the trio got home.

"Lena Mandy Rosenberg, what the fucking hell did you just do to my daughter?" Mommy growled at Lena with an irate and ire voice as she tapped her right foot with displeasure and slapped her left hand lightly with a newspaper in tandem. "I apologize, Suzanne. I don't know why I acted out the way I did, I swear. I would never hit your daughter," Lena tried to explain herself as I saw Mommy's eyes flare and blister in a malignant and maleficent glow. "You know how I feel about my daughter. You know how precious she is to me. She's the only daughter I ever had from Thomas. I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to her."

"You should definitely control yourself more, Lena. I trust you with my daughter's life, especially right after you saved her from that tornado that totaled the entire mansion. You should really respect the trust I have in you, Lena. Not that many people can trust you with their children, especially with the history of your criminal past," my mother directed a lecture to Lena and her tone changed from that of sheer, unadulterated anger, to that of sympathy, compassion and understanding. "I understand completely, Suzanne. I will be especially careful around your daughter. Come along Henry, let's go check up on our sextuplets," Lena returned a pithy retort to Mother and then she beckoned Henry to come with her to go and check up on their children.

Originally written July 18th, 2009 1:35 P.M.


End file.
